The present invention relates generally to a fastener assembly capable of relatively quick engagement and disengagement and, in one embodiment, to a fastener assembly for attaching one or more stowage bins to a structure, such as the frame of an aircraft.
Fasteners are utilized in a wide variety of applications as a means of interconnection. For example, fasteners are commonly used to attach various components to a support structure or frame, thereby constructing a more complex assembly. Different types of fasteners have been developed to address the varied requirements of these applications. In this regard, some fasteners have been designed to provide relatively a permanent connection and may therefore require that the fastener be destroyed or otherwise damaged in order to break the connection. Other fasteners have been designed to permit repeated connection and disconnection without having to destroy or otherwise damage the fastener. In designing fasteners that permit repeated connection and disconnection, however, one consideration is generally insuring that the fasteners remain securely engaged following their initial connection until the fasteners are intentionally disconnected. In addition, another consideration is the ease and/or the time required to connect and disconnect the fasteners with it being desirable that the fasteners be simple and require minimal time to connect and disconnect.
In order to permit repeated connection and disconnection, quick disconnect fasteners have been developed. In concert with the foregoing design considerations, these quick disconnect fasteners are generally relatively simple to connect and disconnect and, therefore, typically require little time during installation and removal. In addition, quick disconnect fasteners generally provide a secure connection following installation and prior to their intentional removal. Notwithstanding their advantages, conventional quick disconnect fasteners have not been suitable or otherwise utilized for all applications that require that the fasteners be capable of being disconnected in order to permit, for example, removal, replacement or other disassembly of a component.
One application that utilizes fasteners that must generally be capable of being disconnected is the installation of stowage bins. Stowage bins are utilized in a wide variety of applications for temporarily storing various articles. For example, aircraft include a number of stowage bins for stowing the personal effects of the passengers during flight. The stowage bins are generally arranged within an aircraft in two or more longitudinally extending rows. In this regard, for an aircraft having a center aisle, for example, stowage bins are generally mounted overhead in two rows along each of the opposed sides of the aircraft.
The stowage bins are generally securely affixed to a supporting structure such that the stowage bins remain fixed in position. With respect to the stowage bins of an aircraft, the stowage bins are generally connected to the frame of the aircraft. In this regard, the upper and/or outer sides of the stowage bins may be connected to the frame of the aircraft by means of one or more tie rods such that the stowage bins are secured in position.
In order to attach the tie rod(s) to the stowage bins, each stowage bin generally includes at least one fitting. For example, a stowage bin may include a fitting mounted proximate each end of the bin in an aligned relationship to a fitting mounted on an adjacent stowage bin. Each fitting may define an opening such that the fittings of adjacent stowage bins may be connected by means of a fastener, such as a bolt or the like. The opposed ends of the tie rods generally also define openings. Thus, the tie rods may be attached to the stowage bins by extending the bolts through the opening defined by one end of each tie rod. As a result, the tie rods are generally mounted upon the shank of the bolt between the fittings of adjacent stowage bins.
Since an aircraft generally includes a substantial number of stowage bins, such as 20, 30 or more stowage bins, the installation of the stowage bins including the attachment of the stowage bins to the frame of the aircraft is a time-consuming process. In particular, the tightening of a nut on each bolt typically requires a significant time. The time required to install the stowage bins is further exacerbated by the limited space available to insert and tighten the nuts and bolts utilized to secure the stowage bins.
In some applications, it may be desirable to eventually replace the stowage bins. For those stowage bins installed within an aircraft, for example, the interior of the aircraft may occasionally be refurbished and new or at least different stowage bins installed. As a result of the manner in which the stowage bins are secured to the frame of the aircraft, such as by means of bolts, the detachment of the stowage bins and the subsequent reattachment of different stowage bins requires even more time and labor and therefore disadvantageously increases the cost of the refurbishment of the interior of the aircraft.
It would therefore be desirable to develop an improved quick disconnect fastener. While an improved disconnect fastener would be useful in a variety of applications, an improved disconnect fastener would be desirable for attaching stowage bins to a supporting structure, such as the frame of an aircraft. For example, it would be desirable to develop an improved quick disconnect fastener for attaching stowage bins that decreases the time required to attach the stowage bins to the supporting structure and that more readily permits the stowage bins to be detached and replaced, such as during the process of retrofitting the interior of an aircraft or the like.
An improved quick disconnect fastener assembly is therefore provided according to one embodiment of the present invention. The quick disconnect fastener can be utilized for a variety of applications, including the installation of stowage bins. While the fastener assembly of the present invention would securely hold the stowage bins in position following installation, the quick disconnect fastener assembly of the present invention also permits the stowage bins to be detached and replaced with other stowage bins, if desired, such as during a refurbishment of the interior of an aircraft or the like. Thus, the time and associated expense expended to install stowage bins are therefore advantageously reduced by utilizing the quick disconnect fastener assembly of the present invention.
In one aspect of the present invention, an improved fastener assembly is provided that is advantageously capable of being quickly disconnected. The fastener assembly includes a tubular connector for engaging a pin. In one embodiment, the pin includes an end portion proximate a distal end of the pin and an engagement portion proximate the end portion of the pin and spaced from the distal end of the pin. The engagement portion of the pin is smaller in lateral cross-section than the end portion of the pin. For example, the engagement portion of the pin may be a circumferential groove defined proximate the end portion of the pin. The pin may also include a head opposite the end portion.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the tubular connector defines a keyhole having a head end and a slot extending circumferentially from the head end. The head end is sized to receive the end portion of the pin and the slot has a width that is smaller than the end portion of the pin, but at least as large as the engagement portion of the pin. Thus, the end portion of the pin may be inserted through the head end into the interior of the tubular connector. The tubular connector may then be rotated relative to the pin such that the engagement portion of the pin slides through the slot. Following this rotation of the tubular connector, the pin cannot be disengaged from the tubular connector without rotating the tubular connector in the opposite direction so as to again align the pin with the head end of the keyhole. Thus, the tubular connector can be mounted upon the end portion of the pin in a relatively quick manner. By extending the pin through appropriate fittings or the like and then securing the pin in position with the tubular connector, the fastener assembly of the present invention permits the quick connection and disconnection of a variety of objects, including a stowage bin and the frame of an aircraft, by engaging and disengaging, respectively, the pin and the tubular connector.
The tubular connector includes a tubular body defining the keyhole. As indicated above, the slot of the keyhole has a width that is smaller than a corresponding dimension of the head end, thereby permitting the end portion of the pin to be inserted through the head end and, following rotation of the tubular connector, to be retained within the tubular body. A tubular body typically defines the keyhole to extend circumferentially through an angle of at least 90xc2x0 and, in some embodiments, at least 120xc2x0.
The tubular connector also includes an engagement member extending inwardly into the tubular body. For example, the engagement member may include an inwardly projecting dimple or flap. The engagement member is aligned with and spaced circumferentially from the keyhole and, in one embodiment, is aligned with a medial portion of the slot. Thus, the end portion of the pin may be inserted through the head end of the keyhole. During subsequent relative rotation of the tubular connector with respect to the pin, the distal end of the pin generally contacts the engagement member. Further relative rotation of the tubular connector with respect to the pin forces the distal end of the pin to move beyond the engagement member. However, the engagement member then serves to restrict relative rotation of the tubular connector and the pin in the opposite direction, thereby preventing inadvertent disengagement of the tubular connector from the pin. However, the tubular connector can be removed from the pin if sufficient force is applied which again will cause the distal end of the pin to move past the engagement member.
The fastener assembly may also include a sleeve mounted upon at least a portion of the tubular connector. Typically, the sleeve is formed of a material that is less abrasive than the tubular connector. As such, the sleeve reduces the abrasion that may otherwise occur between the tubular connector and the fitting. In addition, the sleeve may dampen any noise that otherwise would be generated by contact between the tubular connector and the fitting. In order to facilitate the relative rotation of the tubular connector with respect to the pin, the tubular connector and the sleeve may both define respective aligned apertures. As such, a screwdriver, an awl or another elongate member may be inserted through the openings and utilized as a handle to rotate the fastener assembly relative to the pin.
As described, the fastener assembly can provide for the quick connection and disconnection of a variety of objects. For example, the fastener assembly can provide for the quick connection and disconnection of various components to a frame, such as the quick connection and disconnection of at least one stowage bin to an aircraft frame or the like. In this application, the stowage bin may have a fitting defining an opening therethrough. Typically, the stowage bin is one of a plurality of stowage bins, generally arranged in a row, such that first and second adjacent stowage bins have respective fittings that define aligned openings. The pin may therefore extend through the opening(s) defined by the fitting(s). The stowage bin assembly also includes a connecting member, such as a tie rod, mounted upon the pin for attaching the stowage bin to a structure, such as the frame of an aircraft or the like.
As such, the fastener assembly permits stowage bins to be installed in a more expeditious manner. Once installed, the stowage bin assembly and associated fastener assembly securely hold the stowage bins in position. However, the fastener assembly can permit the stowage bins to be readily detached and different stowage bins installed, if desired, such as during the refurbishment of the interior of an aircraft or the like.